As a result of many comments on this blog, and in response to a great yearning to raise our voices, many teachers, parents, students, administrators and concerned citizens plan to join together in a mass letter-writing campaign to the President.

We want all letters submitted here to this blog or to Anthony Cody no later than October 17.

You may write to the White House directly, and the mail address is in the instructions link. But if you do, you will be required to disclose your identity in full. Knowing that many educators are fearful these days, you may send Anthony and me your letter without disclosing your name.

Please add as much detail as possible about your concerns. Be clear. Be specific.

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Dear President Obama,
I am a teacher in Florida. I teach moderately to profound handicapped students. It is important for me to inform you how your policies are harming both teachers and students. High stakes testing, privatization, vouchers, charters, value-added model for teacher evaluations, virtual schools, and the corporate take-over of our public schools is causing harm. Data exists that insicate that these policies are not improving our schools. Why are you not listening? What kind of school do you want for your children? I bet all parents would like the same for their children. Libraries, music, art, creativity, hands-on learning are important for all students. These important services are being dropped so that more money can be used to pay for test materials.
Why are you not listening to those who know the most about teaching? Teachers need to be listened to and not ignored. Why are our cries falling on deaf ears? You were elected to lead all citizens not just the corporate world. Public education is for a common good……but your policies pander to millionaires who want a piece of the education pie. Wake up! Please don’t hand our schools over to management companies whose number one concern is profit and not what is best for students. Please look at poverty in America and not turn your head or cover your eyes. The ills of America play out in our schools. We see it, we live it. Believe us when we say, “This is wrong”.

I sent one letter that related strictly to policy to the gentleman collecting letters for the President. I emailed the Obama campaign with my views on whether or not I will vote for him. I thought it best to send the voting email to his campaign and not to the White House.

This is a good point. I just got the following response from a message I sent to the White House (which such letter was a mixture of educational policy and my views on voting for Obama):

“Thank you for writing. Based on the content of your message, it appears that your message is intended for the President’s re-election campaign rather than the White House. If you would like to contact the President’s campaign, you may write to Obama for America, P.O. Box 803638, Chicago, IL, 60680 or the campaign’s questions and comment form is available at http://www.BarackObama.com/Ask. Thank you, again, for writing.”

Perhaps we should send our letters to both the White House and Obama’s campaign.

Dear Mr. President,
Please hear me when I say that these new high stakes tests are hurting our children!! My daughter was sick last year because of this new STAAR test. She was sad and withdrawn and she couldn’t eat or sleep. She got better after the tests were over but then worried all summer about how she did. She was only 8.

She isn’t the only child that was so negatively affected either. Why is it ok to hurt our kids like this?? I say it isn’t ok!!! It is abusive and we have to do something to stop abuse!!!

My child’s health is more important than a number from her test…that isn’t even truly representative of what she knows. She gets stressed out and doesn’t do well so her results aren’t even accurate.

Please hear me when I say we aren’t the only ones whose child was ill from testing!! This is wrong!!! Please stop the abuse!!!!

Thank you,
Brenda Harris

There isn’t anything good enough to justify the negative effects of our kids health